Whilst flicking through a freebie magazine, our attention was caught by some smallprint on the listings page: "Golden Eagle Festival, 3-5 October". Our imaginations ran wild and it became our mission to get to this festival wherever it was taking place.
Hunting with golden eagles is a fading tradition. The Kazakhs use the eagles to capture large ground squirrels and foxes for food and pest control. The festival is revitalising this ancient skill and youngsters are now proudly taking up the art.
The hunters come down from the mountains to compete in this prestigious event.
They perform a variety of tasks to test not only ability but the strength of the bond between hunter and eagle.
The criteria was not always immediately obvious to us but the judging was taken very seriously. "Om! Om! Om!" - a regular chant from the crowd calling for top marks of 10 out of 10.
The category for 'presentation' seemed particularly political, though we felt this guy had a certain look...
The eagles are kept hooded until the moment of attack. Once un-masked, the stars of the show are allowed to shine.
The climax of the two days was not for the squeamish. Three eagles were given the honour of seizing a wolf. Not quite so dignified given that the pup was bound and muzzled. It may have been a demonstration of the eagles' power, but this felt like gratuitous blood-sport to us.
All in all, the combination of eagles, hunters and horses set in the dramatic Gobi Altai landscape was the most thrilling spectacle.
Hunting with golden eagles is a fading tradition. The Kazakhs use the eagles to capture large ground squirrels and foxes for food and pest control. The festival is revitalising this ancient skill and youngsters are now proudly taking up the art.
The hunters come down from the mountains to compete in this prestigious event.
The criteria was not always immediately obvious to us but the judging was taken very seriously. "Om! Om! Om!" - a regular chant from the crowd calling for top marks of 10 out of 10.
The category for 'presentation' seemed particularly political, though we felt this guy had a certain look...
The eagles are kept hooded until the moment of attack. Once un-masked, the stars of the show are allowed to shine.
The climax of the two days was not for the squeamish. Three eagles were given the honour of seizing a wolf. Not quite so dignified given that the pup was bound and muzzled. It may have been a demonstration of the eagles' power, but this felt like gratuitous blood-sport to us.
All in all, the combination of eagles, hunters and horses set in the dramatic Gobi Altai landscape was the most thrilling spectacle.
WOW amazing!!! I'm deffinitely in the camp of squeemish about the wolf though...
ReplyDeleteYour blogging public demands more soon xx
The photos are amazing but I cant look too closely, am even more in the squeamish camp - it looks terrifying.x
ReplyDeleteMust have been very difficult to watch. I'm loving your blog - I've only just been given the link to it and really enjoy all your anecdotes. I've never even heard of most of the places you've been to but they all sound very fascinating! Keep it up! Looking forward to your next post!
ReplyDeleteHi you two! Shangri-la, eh? But will you want to return? You're obviously having a brilliant timeon your travels and your blog is fantastic! Love you loads
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